2. 2 Basic Rules
D
igital photography has surpassed film pho- cameras and the size of the image sensor in digital cam-
tography in popularity in recent years, a fact eras. Large format refers to cameras with a 4 inch by 5
that has relegated some amateur and profes- inch negative and larger, whereas medium refers to cam-
sional film cameras to the unlikely task of becoming a eras between 35mm and large format.) Previous users of
paperweight. In the art world, however, film cameras are high-end film compacts and rangefinder cameras are also
coveted. The lesson is simple: choose the tools that you gravitating toward the more advanced functionality and
need to get the results you want. image quality provided by the D-SLR. At the time of this
Just a couple of years ago a professional would have writing, manufacturers such as Leica and Epson are close
chosen from a vast array of film camera types—single lens to producing a digital replacement for the rangefinder,
reflexes, twin lens reflexes, rangefinders, and view cam- but high-end digital compacts and D-SLRs are currently
eras to name a few—when selecting the tools of his or her filling this void.
trade. Now, with the advent of digital technology and digi- The second type of D-SLR is based on the medium-
tal software, the serious photographer can, for the most format SLR. Some models consist merely of a digital back
part, rely on a digital single-lens reflex camera, or D-SLR. on a medium-format film system camera, whereas a few
A D-SLR is an incredibly advanced and refined tool manufacturers are producing large D-SLRs using the
that still offers the all-important ability, as in film version largest CCDs. These cameras tend to be used for pictures
cameras, to view your subject through the same lens that that require the highest image resolution, such as land-
records the image onto your sensor. This is achieved via scape and still life.
a mirror and a pentaprism so that what you see is what Once you have your new camera, you should keep in
you get (often referred to as WYSIWYG). It is hard to mind that the camera essentially houses a miniature com-
imagine that every time you press the shutter to take a puter. Keep your camera software/firmware up to date.
picture, a mirror between the rear of the lens and the The camera manufacturers continuously tune and fine-
image sensor flips out of the way, the camera shutter tune the firmware that runs your camera. Updates can
opens, and the sensor is exposed for the required time. be downloaded from the support section of the manufac-
Meanwhile, the camera’s microprocessor is writing the turer’s website and the instructions to install them into
multitude of information the image sensor has recorded your camera will be found in your instruction manual.
to the camera’s memory card. This is incredible in itself. Copying the firmware file to a memory card normally
Now consider how incredible are the cameras used by does this. Once the memory card is in your camera, use
sport and press photographers, which manage this at the camera’s menu to upload the firmware to your cam-
eight frames a second! era. As soon as you buy your camera, check to make sure
For all intents and purposes, there are two types of that you have the latest firmware.
D-SLR cameras. The first is a traditional-looking camera Bear in mind that this is new technology that is continu-
roughly based on the 35mm film camera bodies that ously evolving and improving. Just as it is with computers,
preceded it. Photographers who would normally use as soon as you buy a new model and are familiar with using
both medium- and large-format professional cameras are it, a newer one will be on the market.
discovering that in some instances the modern high-end
D-SLR provides superior image quality when compared sensors
to the scan that was possible from their film. (The “for- The image sensor in a digital camera replaces the film.
mat” of a camera refers to the size of the negative of film There are two main types of sensors used in D-SLR cam-
3. a later stage, now you have to make this important deci-
TIP: sion at the outset. It’s not just about the file size your
Here are a few places where you can visit many different cam- intended camera is capable of. For instance, if the sensor
era manufacturers to learn about their cameras and equipment is less sharp than the alternative camera, or the color
when you are researching sensors: characteristics less favorable, you could be unhappy with
• Your local camera shop
your choice. Some D-SLRs have in-camera sharpening
• Photo Plus Expo, NYC, in October
to compensate for anti-aliasing filters, the main source
• B H Photo, NYC
of “unsharpness.”
• Photo Marketing Association Sneak Peek, in Florida in
Initially you wouldn’t think that the physical size of
February the image sensor would be a factor to consider, since
• www.dpreview.com
the quality of the file would seem to be the governing
factor. However, the smallest sensors on a D-SLR are
18mm x 13.5mm, compared to the format of a tradi-
eras. They are the CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide tional 35mm film camera, which is 24mm x 36mm. In
Semiconductor) and the CCD (Charge Coupled Device). this case, a 50mm lens, which on a film camera would
Both sensors have their particular idiosyncrasies, and constitute a standard lens, becomes a 100mm short
they have various characteristics that should be taken telephoto.
into account when purchasing. So it’s important to look This initially may seem to be an advantage, since you
at some example files and research the characteristics of won’t need long telephotos. But there is an issue with
the system you intend to purchase. wide angles. A 15mm is an extreme wide angle with a
When professional photographers are choosing and 35mm film camera. With a small sensor, this is only a
purchasing a camera system, they like to shoot some slightly wide angle, equivalent to a 30mm lens on a 35mm
comparison test shots with the cameras they’re consid- film camera in some digital cameras. Some manufactur-
ering. Where possible, emulate this practice. Check the ers are addressing this and are beginning to produce
files in the image-editing software on your computer. special lenses specifically for digital bodies, such as the
Make sure both cameras are tested with all in-camera extraordinary Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/4.0.
sharpening turned off to allow for a fair comparison. A
camera technician at your local store can show you how What type of lens do I need?
to do this. Now that you’ve bought your new D-SLR camera and are
Some sensor/camera combinations are particularly starting to come to terms with its operation, you might
good for low light when using a sensor sensitivity of 400 well be thinking about buying another lens.
ISO or higher, while others are fantastic in full natural When you purchased the camera it more than likely
light and terrible when used with a high ISO sensor sensi- came with a zoom lens; something like a 28-80mm is the
tivity. Check the amount of “noise” or “grain” at a higher usual offering with new cameras, and this is a good lens
ISO. Do your research well and choose a suitable sensor with which to start.
for the type of photography you’re most interested in. But if you feel like you need something different, what
Whereas in the era of film you would have bought do you look for? There are many types of lenses avail-
your camera and decided on the type of film required at able, and to know which lens you should buy you need to
4. know what you want to photograph with it. Lenses come The 35mm wide-angle lens is often used as a standard
in all shapes and sizes—a bit like a family—and they all lens because although the focal length is slightly less
have specific characteristics. Here is a breakdown of the than the 50mm of the standard lens, the difference is
different lens types and some of their applications. not huge. It can give the photographer the advantage of
extra depth of field, a real benefit for news photographers,
There are three basic types of lenses: who shoot where space is often limited and for whom the
• wide-angle more of the picture in focus, the better.
• standard Because the angle of view of the wide-angle lens is much
• telephoto greater than that of the telephoto or standard lens, it’s
obviously the lens to use where there’s limited space or
A lens belongs in a particular category based on its focal the subject is large. Taking the family picture at Christmas
length. when 30 of your relatives have arrived at your place would
• 50mm is the traditional focal length for a standard lens. be impossible unless you lived in a very large house—or
• Less than 50mm is considered a wide-angle lens. you had a wide-angle lens to take the shot.
• Greater than 50mm is considered to be a telephoto lens. Landscape photography is another area where wide-
• Lenses beyond about 300mm are known as super telephoto angle lenses are very useful. Using a wide-angle offers the
ability to get close to your main subject to make it more
Standard Lenses prominent in the frame while keeping as much of the
The standard lens (50mm) gives an angle of view of background in focus as you want.
between 45 and 55 degrees, which is approximately the
same as that of the human eye. Because of this it produc- Telephoto Lenses
es an image with a natural look; it photographs things in We all know that a long telephoto lens can bring the subject
a manner that is as near as possible to the way we would right into the heart of the picture; objects that appear to be
see the same subject. miles away when shot with a standard lens appear to be only
Because these lenses photograph subjects in the same feet in front of the photographer when shot with a telephoto
way as we see things, they produce pictures that tend to lens. This is why all the photographers at a football match
look “normal” and, thus, have a wide application as a or soccer game use telephoto lenses to capture the action.
general-purpose lens. Telephoto lenses have many more uses than just
sports photography. The narrow angle of acceptance
Wide-Angle Lenses and the extra magnification allow the photographer to
With so many wide-angle lenses available ranging in focal foreshorten the distance between himself and the point
lengths from 8mm to 35mm, the choice is huge and can of interest of the picture. The lens allows you to capture
be quite confusing. Basically, the wider the lens, the more a smaller portion of the scene so that your subject is
specialized its use. not lost. This effect makes telephoto lenses particularly
Super-wide lenses can distort the image and have a lim- suited to landscape photography when you are trying to
ited, if valuable, use. I would suggest that either a 24mm or isolate details in a rather large area.
a 28mm lens—the more common types of wide-angle— The longer focal length of a telephoto lens means that
would be a good choice to purchase as a starter lens. it has much less depth of field than a wide-angle or even
5. A fisheye lens can offer a chance to make unusual images.
a standard lens. This effect can be used to “drop out” or a cheaper alternative to buying a number of fixed focal-
blur backgrounds to create a sharp, clear subject without length lenses.
the confusion of a busy background. This situation has rapidly changed, and some of the
You must take this factor into account when using a sharpest and fastest lenses now available are zoom lenses.
telephoto to shoot landscape pictures, where it’s often The zoom lens allows the photographer to carry less
best to have as much of the picture in focus as possible. equipment, since a single zoom lens will often replace two
This often requires long shutter speeds and small aper- or even three normal lenses. A top-quality zoom lens is
tures to create greater depth of field. A tripod will be expensive and will often cost the equivalent of the two or
necessary to hold the camera perfectly still. three fixed-focal-length lenses it replaces.
A short telephoto lens—90mm, 110mm, or 135mm- If you have a choice between a constant-aperture zoom
is ideal for portraiture. It allows the photographer to lens versus a variable-aperture zoom lens, choose the con-
maintain a comfortable distance from the subject while stant one. The reason is simple: Your aperture remains
still allowing use of the limited depth of field to avoid the same as you zoom, so your exposure can remain the
confusing backgrounds. same. With a variable zoom lens, the aperture can close
down as much as one f-stop. For example, if you zoom
Zoom Lens or Fixed Focal Length from 28mm to 135mm and you started with f/3.5, you
As zoom lenses have become better, their popularity has may end up with f/5.6. The way to combat this is to stop
grown. A few years ago a zoom lens could not match down anyway so you are not affected. Or better yet, spend
the quality of a fixed focal-length lens and was seen as more money for a constant-aperture zoom lens.
6. Macro Lenses
If you have a desire to photograph insects, close-ups of ments to enable the entire building to be in the frame.
flowers, or any other small objects, then the macro lens You do this by sliding up the front portion of the lens
might be what you need. to include the top of the building so you don’t have to
Usually available in 35mm, 50 or 60mm, or 100 or point the camera up. The use of a shift lens will stop the
105mm focal lengths, these lenses are similar to normal vertical lines from coming together while still giving the
lenses in that they can focus to infinity, but they are impression of looking up at the building.
designed to focus at extremely short distances. They are The tilt-shift lens has been used by tabletop photog-
used for extreme close-up photography. raphers and portraitists alike lately to create interesting
Coins, stamps, or any other small objects are ideal images. The tilt feature allows photographers to control
subjects for a macro lens. And because it can focus at a sharpness and blur in unexpected ways.
distance as well, the macro lens can also be used as a stan-
dard lens. The addition of extension rings that fit between Split Field Lens
the lens and the camera can make this lens capable of This lens consists of a semicircular close-up lens in a
even more extreme close-up photography. rotating mount that attaches to the front of a lens and
Finally, there are macro zoom lenses in this category allows it to produce images in which the close-up fore-
that can produce an image of an object at a 1:3 ratio. ground image and distant objects in the background are
Sometimes these lenses can even give life-size reproduc- both in sharp focus.
tions on the film or on the sensor.
Teleconverters
Fisheye Lenses Teleconverters are clever optical devices that fit between the
Called a fisheye lens because it produces images that look camera body and the lens and increase the effective focal
like a fish’s eye, this lens is extremely wide angle. It can length of the lens. Most teleconverters come in either a 1.4x
produce an angle of view of 180 degrees and either a circu- or a 2x version. A 2x converter will turn a 200mm lens into a
lar or a full-frame image that is very distorted at the edges. 400mm lens, although it will also reduce maximum aperture,
Because this is the only type of image it can produce, it is and thus the light reaching the film, by two stops. A 1.4x
obviously limited in use. converter will reduce maximum aperture by one stop, neces-
sitating slower shutter speeds or a higher ISO setting. This is
Shift Lenses a good option for expanding your range of telephoto lenses,
Shift lenses are expensive, but if you like photographing but be sure to buy the best teleconverter that you can afford.
tall buildings, you’ll find a use for this type of lens.
Using a standard lens, the camera has to be tilted back- perspective
ward to fit the top of the building into the frame. This The control of perspective is the ability to use your camera
produces an image in which the building appears to be and lenses to control the relationship between the back-
falling backward, and all the vertical lines converge at the ground and foreground of your pictures.
top of the picture, a consequence of the film or image- When you’re using a wide-angle lens, the background
sensor plane not being kept parallel to the subject. appears much farther away from your subject than it actu-
A shift lens allows the camera to remain straight and ally is. With a standard lens, the background appears the
parallel to the building and uses moving front lens ele- same distance away as it does with the naked eye. When
7. Checklist for D-SLR Photography
The following is a checklist to help you remember all the technical aspects of your photography that need to be kept in mind.
Your new camera is a highly sophisticated piece of equipment; this list should help you avoid simple mistakes while you become
familiar with it.
• Have you charged your batteries? Before every outing, charge your battery. Most digital cameras have rechargeable batteries. In the early
days you will be checking almost every image on the LCD screen on the back of your camera, and this is what runs the camera battery
down more than anything else. In fact, to start with, buy a spare battery.
• ave you formatted your memory card? Before every shoot, and after you download or print your pictures, always, always format your
H
memory card. As with all technical equipment, failure is always possible. You can lose pictures. However, you can minimize this risk with
good housekeeping. Format your card in the camera’s menu before every use and after you confirm you have downloaded your pictures.
• o you have enough memory in your cards? One of the plus points of the pre-digital era was the ability to pick up a new roll of film in
D
almost every corner shop. The cards included with most digital cameras today have a very small capacity for pictures. You will inevitably
need to purchase additional, more spacious cards. Make sure you buy enough for that trip to the Caribbean or some other exotic location
like Alaska where you may not be able to find suitable cards while you’re traveling.
• Have you cleaned your image sensor? If you like to change lenses often, there is a chance that dust attracted to your image sensor will
result in black specks or hairs appearing on your image files. This is especially likely if you forget to turn off your camera before changing
the lens. If the sensor is not cleaned carefully, it can be damaged. Check the manufacturer’s website to see what they recommend. One
way to avoid having to clean the sensor all the time is to keep the lens mount facing down when changing lenses. This way, any airborne
debris is less likely to settle on the sensor.
• ave you set your sensor sensitivity (ISO)? It’s best to use as low an ISO as possible because higher ISO settings produce more “noise”
H
(undesirable visible grain). The general rule is: The lower the ISO, the better the quality (ifthe shooting circumstances permit it).
• Have you set your color/white balance? We will be going into this later in more depth, but at this stage make sure that your camera is set
on auto-white balance, as in most cases this will produce an acceptable result.
• Have you set the right file type—JPEG, RAW, or TIFF? We’ll be addressing this subject later on. For now, make sure your camera is set
to produce the largest/highest quality JPEG possible. It is absolutely pointless to shoot on smaller JPEG settings, since doing so defeats
the purpose of using a high-quality camera.
8. using a telephoto lens, the background appears closer. It stays open, the more light will be allowed to reach the
should also be mentioned that on a wide-angle lens your image sensor. Faster shutter speeds “freeze” the action
angle of acceptance is much greater than on a standard or and often require more light and a larger aperture (small-
telephoto lens where your angle of acceptance is much less. er f-stop number). Slower shutter speeds enable pictures
This means that with a wide-angle lens, you can sometimes to be taken in lower light with a smaller aperture (larger
surprise yourself with how much you’ve included in your f-stop number).
picture. On the other hand, using a telephoto lens, your Before we can achieve the correct exposure it is impor-
subject is more prominent and less of the background is tant to know what a correctly exposed image looks like. A
included within your frame. correctly exposed digital picture is a file that shows a full
So, by varying your lenses, and therefore your perspec- range of tones, from deep shadows to bright highlights,
tive, you can use the background to complement your with detail across the entire image. You should see some
pictures or isolate your subject as you require. As I men- detail in the dark shadow areas while at the same time
tioned in an earlier chapter, experiment by shooting a retaining detail in the brighter highlight areas. Providing
variety of pictures of the same subject with different focal you get this, you can decide afterwards whether you actu-
length lenses to help you understand how different focal ally need the full tonal range to appear when you print
lengths affect perspective. Remember to move backward the image. If you don’t ensure that you have the full tonal
and forward in relation to your subject to keep it the same range from the start, there is little you can do about it later.
size in all the frames and at all the different focal lengths. This last point is more crucial when shooting in JPEG
format. When shooting in RAW mode, getting the right
Exposing your pictures exposure is a more forgiving process than it is when you
First, I will define the three basic photographic terms you shoot color negative film because you can correct the
will need to know. Then we can learn in greater detail color in your computer later.
about each one.
Controlling Light
Exposure To register a fully-toned image on your digital camera sen-
Exposure is the amount of light, controlled by aperture sor, you must allow the correct amount of light to reach the
and shutter speed, that reaches the image sensor. digital sensor. The three factors that control the path of light
are sensor sensitivity (ISO), shutter speed, and aperture.
F-stops
F-stops are the measure of the size of the opening, or Sensor Sensitivity
aperture, in the lens. Remember, the larger the f-stop When film was dominant, exposure was an incredibly
number, the smaller the aperture. The smaller the f-stop important subject. The digital era has brought us light-
number, the larger the aperture and the more light the years forward because we can now see the result of our
lens will let through to the image sensor. settings instantly. Just as with film cameras, the D-SLR
takes into account the brightness of the subject, the con-
Shutter Speeds trast, the color of the picture, and the area focused. When
Shutter speed is the measure of the duration or length of set for automatic exposure, the camera calculates all this
time that the shutter stays open. The longer the shutter and much more instantly.
9. A perfect exposure looks
like a mountain range in
the histogram.
An overexposed image
appears as a valley in the
histogram.
An underexposed image
has extreme peaks on one
side of the histogram.
I guess you’ll have realized by now that I’m a fan of picture? Is it in focus? What is the background like? Until
automatic exposure, providing that you review your pic- all these elements start to become second nature, it’s wise
tures on the LCD screen on the back of your digital cam- to leave your camera on auto-exposure. This will give you
era as you shoot. If you are a newcomer to photography, one less thing to worry about while you concentrate on all
there are many other different aspects that have to be con- the others. Then slowly, as you become more technically
sidered before you take each picture. How do I frame the proficient and have learned to hold the camera the right
10. way, you’ll start to appreciate the small adjustments that Exposure Compensation Setting
are possible on your camera to perfect exposure. If you find that your images consistently look better by
On most D-SLRs and high-end compact digital cam- underexposing by one stop, or by overexposing by half a
eras, you have the option of overriding your automatic stop, then use the exposure compensation setting to build
exposure and setting the exposure manually. This is this factor into the camera’s light metering. This facility
where we begin to play with the camera’s settings. We will enables you to under- or overexpose by up to three f-stops
learn not only to expose correctly but to overexpose and or full shutter speeds. This is normally indicated on your
underexpose deliberately. camera by a scale from +3 to -3 with either half or third
Film photography requires you to change films if you stop increments. Once you set it, the camera will usually
want to change the ISO setting. Digital photography, on maintain the adjustment until you change it. Most profes-
the other hand, allows you to shoot a group of pictures, or sional photographers I know use the exposure compensa-
even a single picture, at one ISO setting, then change the tion feature to fine-tune the meter of their camera.
ISO setting on the same memory card and keep shooting. Take lots of different versions of each picture. When you
You can change the ISO as often as you like. have time and the subject permits, vary your exposures so
you don’t miss an important shot. Check the images on
Shutter speeds your computer screen and delete all the bad ones before
Here are some basic tips about shutter speeds to begin: you show anyone your work.
• stop a racing car, or someone riding a bicycle, start
To
with 1/1000 second. Automatic Exposure (AE) Modes
• For
everyday pictures such as portraits and views, use On most digital cameras you’ll find a variety of exposure
speeds of 1/60 second to 1/250 second. modes, typically referred to as:
• the light is really bad, try not to go below 1/60 sec-
If • aperture priority AE(Av)
ond. If you must, hold your camera very still and don’t • shutter priority AE(Tv)
expect to freeze any action. • program AE (P)
• manual (M)
Aperture (f-stop)
Here are some basic tips about f-stops: Aperture Priority
• s a general rule, f/5.6 gives a little bit of depth of field,
A The aperture priority mode enables you to set the f-stop
provided the lens focal length isn’t too long, and is still (aperture) and the camera will then adjust the shutter
wide enough to enable high shutter speeds. speed to give the correct exposure. This mode is particu-
• f it gets really dark, don’t be afraid to open your aper-
I larly useful in low-light conditions, where you want to set
ture to its maximum aperture, for example, f/2. the brightest, widest f-stop in order to get the highest
• f you need loads of depth of field, or you want a slow
I shutter speed and the minimum amount of movement. If
shutter speed, stop down to f/11 (when using a short more depth of field is needed, you can use a small f-stop
lens) or f/16. to get as much of your picture in focus as possible.
If your picture looks a little bit lighter or darker than it
should, take another, having adjusted the exposure. You Shutter Priority
can make your image lighter by increasing your exposure, Using the shutter priority mode, you can set the shutter
or darker by decreasing it. speed, and the camera selects the f-stop (aperture) to give
11. In the diagram below, each combination of lens aperture and shutter speed
produces the same exposure, or lets the same amount of light into the camera.
the correct exposure. This can be especially useful when though. If there’s not enough (or too much) light to
you’re shooting action pictures and you want to freeze achieve the effect you’re after, your camera won’t be able
the motion by setting a high shutter speed. By the same to work miracles. Even on this setting, check the LCD
token, if you were photographing a waterfall and you to make sure you are getting the images you want. And
wanted the water to blur, you could set a slow shutter remember that you can still use autoexposure compensa-
speed and the aperture would adjust accordingly. It goes tion to override the camera’s decision.
without saying that both modes assume you have enough
light to expose your pictures within the range of shutter Manual
speeds and apertures you’re using. This mode enables you to manually set the shutter speed
and the aperture independently of each other, referring
Program either to the camera’s built-in meter or to a handheld
This setting leaves all the decision-making to the cam- meter. Professionals tend to use manual exposure and
era. The camera sets a combination of shutter speed and handheld light meters. This allows them to take multiple
aperture so you don’t have to think about exposure at all. meter readings in various points of the subject frame. In
In some cameras this may be set up as subject programs this method the photographer has total control over the
such as “portrait,” “sports,” or “landscape.” Be careful pictorial effects that various shutter speed and aperture
12. perfect result in almost all cases. I would suggest you leave
TIP: your camera set on matrix/evaluative metering and switch
The sunny f/16 Rule: temporarily to spot metering when the situation calls for it.
If you are attempting to make a landscape photograph without a
tripod, inverse the ISO in selecting your shutter speed, i.e., with
Spot Metering
a 200 ISO you would select 1/200 second at f/16.
Spot metering is a really good setting when shooting
manually. The reading is taken from a very small section
combinations can achieve. When film was dominant, this in the center of the frame, sometimes as little as one per-
method tended to be the exclusive realm of the profes- cent of the total image. This is very useful, for instance, if
sional or the advanced amateur. Today, the immediate you’re sitting in a separate light from the person you wish
feedback of digital photography allows you to shoot a to photograph. Say you are sitting outside a cafe in the
test frame, have a look, make a slight adjustment, have shade of an umbrella. You see your friend has arrived and
another little look, and get your exposure right. she is standing in a shaft of sunlight. In order to expose
Most advanced D-SLR cameras have an autobracket set- a picture of her correctly, use spot metering. You need to
ting. This clever little feature sets the camera to take three set the camera to expose for the sunlight around her, not
pictures automatically, in rapid succession: one at the “cor- the shade around you.
rect exposure,” one overexposed, and one underexposed.
I find this very useful when working quickly because I Center-weighted Metering
know it will give me a choice of exposures after the fact. Center-weighted metering is more biased toward the
By setting the camera to shoot one picture at the “correct” center of the frame. Less attention is paid to the corners
exposure—as the camera sees it—and two frames perhaps and edges. Personally, I don’t have a use for this func-
one f-stop either side, I’ll always end up with one frame tion except on some cameras in which automatic flash is
that I consider to be the perfect exposure. You can change more reliable on this setting. Other photographers like it
the increments of the brackets so that they are 1/3, 1/2, or because this kind of metering tends to underexpose the
2/3 stop to either side of the “correct” exposure, depending photograph, which worked well with slide film once and,
on the camera model. On most cameras this facility works likewise, digital. As always, experiment to find the best
on all the automatic settings and in manual mode. combination of settings for your camera.
Metering Patterns Handheld Meter
Most advanced D-SLR cameras, along with the automatic This is an exotic accessory for the digital photographer
exposure modes, have some additional settings that can affect and is really only necessary for a professional working with
your exposure. The default setting on most D-SLR cam- additional lighting or strobes. A handheld meter today
eras and point-and shoot-cameras is multisegment metering. is often a combination of an exposure meter and a flash
(Nikon calls it matrix metering, Canon, evaluative.) This meter, and is generally used as an incident light meter. This
method of metering divides the image into a number of means that the meter measures the light falling on the sub-
smaller areas in which the microprocessors of the camera ject rather than the light reflected off the subject, the way
meter the light. The camera then combines these readings your camera does its metering. This highly accurate and
with the aperture and shutter speed and produces a near precise instrument is used by holding the meter in front
13. of the subject with its white dome pointing towards your A good exercise is to take some pictures of a subject with
camera. You take the reading and transfer these settings to a full range of colors and tones. Set your camera to manual
your camera while your camera is set in the manual mode. exposure and expose one frame as the meter suggests. Then
This system does not take into account the color or density take the same picture in a range of frames at half or one-
of your subject and produces settings suitable for a mid- third stop increments, from three stops under to three stops
toned, average subject. The main use for this meter in the over. Look at the histograms of these pictures to learn how
digital world is when using supplementary strobes/flashes. to read and understand them, taking into account how
It has the ability to measure the brightness/intensity of a the chart varies with under- and overexposure. Very, very
non-dedicated studio flash, a capability that is not found in crudely speaking— and I may get criticized for simplifying
the meter in the camera. This tool is essential when setting to this degree– you’re looking for a mountain range in your
up complicated shots with studio-type lighting. histogram window that starts at one edge, finishes at the
other edge, and reaches toward the top of the histogram
Understanding Histograms frame. Obviously, since every picture has different content,
As you’ve heard before, one of the best things about your mountain ranges will vary.
digital cameras is the ability to review your images on
the back of your camera. When I harp on about check- Autofocus
ing the exposure on your LCD screen, sometimes I hear Most beginning photographers leave their autofocus func-
this: “You silly old fool. In the sunlight I can hardly see tion on the factory-default setting of “on all the time,” like
the screen. How can I possibly judge my exposure?” most of the other settings on their digital cameras.
Most D-SLRs have the facility to display a histogram on To start with, and as you learn, this is just where you
the camera LCD screen. Whereas 99 percent of photog- should leave this setting. Only when you’ve mastered the
raphers think a histogram is some sort of family tree, it other functions and facilities of your camera should you
is in fact a fairly simple bar chart. The chart illustrates begin to tinker with these options.
how the pixels in an image are distributed by graphing Like most settings on your D-SLR, autofocus should
the number of pixels at each color intensity level. This really be referred to as automated, rather than automatic.
shows you whether the image contains enough detail in There are many options within the menus of your cam-
the shadows (shown on the left side of the histogram), era to fine-tune the focusing. I can’t stress enough the
mid-tones (shown in the middle), and highlights (shown importance of gradually learning how to use these and
on the right side) to create good overall exposure. all the functions of your camera as you progress. Using
As you get used to viewing histograms, you’ll find them this automated (as opposed to manual) mode does not
a great tool for checking and double-checking your photo- in any way mean that you’re taking the easy option. If
graphs, especially in adverse lighting conditions. Knowing anything, you’re proving that you are a master of technol-
what sort of histogram a well-exposed image produces ogy and that all that hard-earned cash spent on your new
eliminates the chances of being fooled by an LCD screen advanced digital camera has not been wasted.
that is not set to the correct brightness. Perhaps the first autofocus function found on high-end
If the histogram looks all right, it doesn’t matter whether cameras that you should learn to use right from the start is
the image looks light or dark on the screen. The truth is in commonly known as “one-shot” or “single servo.” Use this
the histogram. in cases where you want to compose your picture when
14. the subject is off-center. In your viewfinder there will be autofocus menus. These vary a lot from manufacturer to
either cross hairs or AF (autofocus) points to signify the manufacturer and take into account many different fac-
point on which the camera focuses. Point your camera tors, sometimes even the type of picture and color of the
directly at the subject so that the AF point is aimed at the intended photograph. So you’ll need to refer to your cam-
part of your picture that you wish to be the primary point era instruction manual, which I’m absolutely sure you’ll
of focus. By using this one-shot/single servo mode, the have taken the time to read by now. No doubt you’ll need
autofocus is activated as you initially depress the shutter. It to read it again and again!
will then lock into place as the camera focuses on the point The only occasion on which I would recommend
you’ve chosen. Holding down the button halfway to hold manual focus is when you are photographing through
the focus, you may then recompose your picture perfectly, netting or similar screening. When photographing soc-
allowing better composition. Be aware this feature is total- cer, for example, shooting from behind the goal through
ly unsuitable for moving subjects, because once locked in, the netting can give a dynamic and graphic effect. This
the focus does not move until you press the shutter. Every situation will usually foil all autofocus cameras. Switch
picture you shoot will, of course, need refocusing. off your autofocus when taking this kind of shot. This
would apply equally to taking pictures of animals behind
There are some scenes that are unreliable in the autofocus cages at the zoo.
function. They are:
• Snowy scenes Depth of field
• Wide-open blue skies Depth of field is the distance between the nearest and the
• Very low light farthest objects in an image judged to be in acceptable
• Extremely backlit or reflective subjects focus. The focal length and the aperture of the lens you’re
using and your focused distance govern your depth of
When the camera is unable to focus on any point field. The longer the focal length, the less the depth of
against the snow or blue sky, for example, set the one- field. The shorter the focal length, the more depth of field.
shot function, lock the focus on something a similar The smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field,
distance from the primary subject, and then recompose other things being equal. In layman’s terms, telephoto
your picture. lenses have less depth of field than wide-angle lenses, and
Another function, which in use is in some way similar a more powerful telephoto lens gives less depth of field. It
to one-shot, is commonly known as back-button focusing. also follows that extremely wide-angle lenses provide the
In this mode, you enable one of the function buttons on most depth of field.
the back of your D-SLR to activate the focusing. So before When you see a beautiful landscape photograph hanging
you shoot, and in fact while you shoot, you can enable and on a wall in a gallery, it was very likely was shot on a very
disable the focusing at will. On some advanced D-SLRs small aperture (large f/stop number) to get as much depth
when you combine this with the ability to manually select of field as possible. Even on a sunny day, using the smallest
one of the many focal points, you’re using the camera’s aperture may require a rather long shutter speed and may
autofocus system to its full potential. therefore require the use of a tripod.
Once you’ve started to master your camera, there are This can create a dilemma. For instance, you would
many more settings that you can learn to use within the ideally want to use a high shutter speed for shooting
15. action photographs. Yet the subject is traveling at speed, wide-angle lens and a small aperture, almost everything
so a small aperture would give you more of the subject in your picture can be sharp, enabling you to fill the frame
in focus, thus making it easier to get the picture sharp. and isolate your subject in the foreground while keeping
Some people would just use a higher sensitivity for their a sense of place with a sharp background. To sum up, the
sensor, thus enabling higher shutter speeds and lower smaller the f-stop, the more depth of field you will get.
apertures. But this comes at a price—and perhaps the But always remember to use a shutter speed that is suit-
most expensive price when it comes to photography— able for your subject.
the all-important quality of the image. The sad fact is
that as you increase the sensitivity of your sensor, the Composition
image quality can decrease. (Camera manufacturers are Unfortunately, when it comes to framing your pictures,
improving greatly in their high-ISO performance as we there is no auto-composition button to come to your rescue,
write this.) so this is one skill that you really will have to master.
So now it’s decision time: You can’t have everything, This section is about developing an “eye” for a picture.
so you have to choose what is most important to you. Photography is about seeing something pictorial and
Even on the brightest day of the year, with the sun on the recording it in an interesting and graphic way. If the
subject, if using 100 ISO, your exposure at 1/1000 second subject doesn’t have the content to begin with, you can’t
would be f/5.6. This would not give you much depth of mysteriously add it. If the colors and shapes of the subject
field on a long telephoto lens. And if you were photo- don’t complement each other, guidelines will not help
graphing floodlit football, you would really be in trouble. you. They are there to help you make the most of what
A typical exposure setting would be 1/500 second at f/2.8 you see and photograph. Unless you are constantly look-
at 800 ISO. ing and thinking, you will not get great pictures.
When you would like as much depth of field as pos- To compose your pictures properly, in very simple
sible, remember that the depth of field extends farther terms, is to produce a pleasing picture. This is easily
behind the point of focus than in front of it. If you focus achieved in most cases. Sometimes it may be as simple
one third into your subject, you will know that the depth as turning the camera vertically to take the picture as
of field will extend by equal amounts before and after the opposed to the more commonly used landscape, or hori-
point of focus. Some lenses have depth-of-field markings zontal, format.
showing approximately how much depth of field is avail- The important thing is to really think about your pic-
able at a given aperture. To give a crude example: with a ture and not get too bogged down in technical details.
20mm lens set to f/11 and the focus set approximately 5 This may sound hypocritical, as the bulk of this book
feet into the picture, your depth of field will extend from deals with the technical aspects of digital photography,
2 1/2 feet to infinity. Using a 400mm lens set at f/4, your but it’s essential to understand that the technical side
depth of field with the focus set at approximately 30 feet is there to enable you to express your creativity. Unless
would be less than a foot. you fully grasp the basics of composition, no matter how
Remember that you can use depth of field creatively by technically advanced you become, your pictures will
using a wide-open aperture to isolate your subject. Your always be lacking.
subject will stand out sharply as the rest of the image sur- To start with, be bold and fill the viewfinder with your
rounding it remains pleasantly blurred. Equally, with a subject. If the subject is predominantly upright, shoot
16. the picture vertically. If your subject lends itself to a Look through your viewfinder and mentally divide the
horizontal picture, shoot it in a landscape format. In the screen into three horizontal and three vertical sections, like
early days of your photography, when you review your a tic-tac-toe grid. The points where the lines intersect are
pictures at the end of the day you will be surprised to the places that your eye naturally seeks out when looking
find that the subjects are much smaller in the frame than at a photograph. It’s logical, therefore, that you should try
you expected. You must make sure that when you look to position your subject near one of these four focal points.
through the viewfinder you are looking at everything When photographing a landscape, it’s also good compo-
that is in the viewfinder. Take into account what’s around sitional practice to place the horizon or skyline on one of
your subject and ask yourself if it contributes to the pic- these imaginary lines. At this point we must also mention
ture you are trying to make. that it’s important to keep your horizon straight. Failing to
One of the advantages of the compact digital camera, do so is the most common mistake when starting out. It’s
which is lacking on nearly all D-SLRs, is the ability to use a real disappointment to see a photograph in which the
the LCD screen on the rear of your camera as a viewfinder. skyline runs downhill.
I find that people tend to frame their pictures far better Changing the angle from which you take a picture can
when using the LCD, because they tend to look at the whole hugely transform it. For small subjects, such as pets and
picture. The LCD is so small that your eye cannot wander babies, try to get down on their level. Lie down and look
around the frame. When you’re looking through a normal up at your one-year-old child’s first steps for a far more
eye-level viewfinder, it’s easier for your eyes to wander and, interesting picture. A tight portrait of your bulldog asleep
therefore, not consider the frame as a whole. on the rug is far better photographed if you are lying down
As you start to shoot more pictures and you become on the same level. Choosing a dynamic viewpoint can help
more accustomed to filling the frame, start making use of your photography and accentuate your pictures. Don’t be
your zoom lens (which most digital cameras now come afraid to be radical and stand directly above the sleeping
with) and zoom in on your subject. Don’t be afraid to dog. This may or may not give a more interesting view-
shoot, for example, an extreme close-up of your friend, or point; the point is to keep experimenting and looking to
your baby, or a flower. find the most dynamic picture.
When you shoot close-up portraits, try experimenting I know I sound like Polly the parrot, but keep review-
with your framing. Your subject doesn’t always have to be ing your images on the LCD screen on the back of your
in the center of the frame and looking directly at the cam- digital camera. A good tip for cameras with an LCD
era. Perhaps when photographing, say, your daughter, it screen that can be used as a viewfinder—if it’s the sort
may be more pleasing to compose the picture with her with a hinged, adjustable screen—is to hold the camera
on the left or right looking into the center of the picture. on the floor or above your head to gain a more dramatic
Now that you are beginning to frame your portraits, you viewpoint and view the image using your LCD to control
have started to compose your pictures well. your composition. This way you can sometimes achieve
Since the time of Leonardo da Vinci, budding artists a viewpoint that wouldn’t be possible if you had to com-
have had the rule of thirds drummed into them at art pose a picture through your normal viewfinder. The less
school. I personally find rules extremely boring, but I agile you are, the more useful this can be.
grudgingly admit that this one is actually very useful to If your frame contains visible or long, continuous
photographers. lines, such as roads, rivers, fences, buildings, etc., take
17. advantage of these lines when composing your image
to lead your eye into the main subject of the picture. TIP:
This works particularly well when the lines originate Your virtual viewfinder:
from the bottom corners of your photographs. A wind- A very good way of comprehending composition is to form
ing road, for example, leads to the old church you are a rectangular frame (your very own virtual viewfinder) with your
photographing, or the Great Wall of China starts in the hands by linking your index fingers to your thumbs. Hold your
bottom corner of your frame and then leads the eye into frame at arm’s length for that telephoto look, or close to your
the center of the picture. face for the wide-angle effect. You will find that by eliminating the
One last word on color in your composition. It’s point- superfluous information from your view, you will see it more the
less to try to apply any rules to this; it’s up to you as the way your camera will photograph it. This may sound absurd—after
photographer to see and appreciate color and the aesthet- all, you can always look through your viewfinder—but just try it.
ics of different combinations. Colors can give a warm or
cold feeling to a picture, reflecting our preconceived views
on color. A winter scene can be enhanced by the use of Kelvin, which makes the camera think the light is cooler
blue in the picture to give that chilly feeling, for example, than it really is. This gives me a pleasing, slightly warmer
or a red beach umbrella on golden sand can evoke the feel- effect similar to shooting Fuji Velvia film.
ing of warmth. Although it’s not usually possible to add Many of today’s cameras measure the color balance
colors to your photographs, be aware of color as you’re through the lens. As with through-the-lens automatic
looking to make that award-winning picture. exposure metering, if the subject is a predominant color or
density, the camera’s automatic exposure or color balance
Color Balance tries to achieve a neutral effect and can be fooled. So if you
On most digital cameras today, photographers tend to were photographing a red Ferrari against a red wall when
use the auto white balance (AWB) setting. For most sub- shooting on auto white balance, the camera would try to
jects, this is fine. In some cases, however, it’s better to use make your picture less red. Obviously, this isn’t good. In
some of the preset WB settings, such as sunlight, shady, the same way, if you shot a snowman in the snow on auto-
fluorescent, or tungsten lighting, and match them to the matic exposure, the camera would underexpose the subject.
existing lighting. With advanced digital cameras, you also
have the facility to set a manual white balance. This is You can preset your color balance to get a more desirable
achieved by photographing a neutral gray card, using one picture. You can do this by:
of the options of the camera. The camera then makes an •
Making a manual color balance reading with the camera
adjustment to give very accurate color. Where the light is •
Using a color temperature meter and then entering the
constant, this is the best way to achieve perfect color bal- reading
ance with mixed or difficult lighting. •
Using your experience and entering the color balance
A good trick I use frequently is to set the degrees Kelvin in degrees Kelvin manually
(a measurement of color) in the camera slightly warmer
than the light at the time. For instance, on a normal To sum up color balance:
sunny afternoon, the correct color temperature would • 90 percent of cases, auto white balance, like auto
In
be 5,500 degrees Kelvin. I set my camera at 6,000 degrees exposure, produces great results.
18. • unusual or mixed lighting conditions, or with sub-
In Let’s consider a familiar scenario to illustrate the impor-
jects of one predominant color, try to manually set your tance of the background. You are taking a photograph of
color balance. the bride at her wedding. By framing the church in the
•
Don’t be afraid to warm your pictures up slightly by background, you can turn a straight, boring portrait into
manually setting a cooler color balance than called for a much better photograph. In this case, the background is
by the light. complementing the picture, not distracting or overpower-
• you are using an advanced camera and shooting in
If ing it. You must be careful not to let the background take
RAW, many of the color balance adjustments can be over the picture. Remember what you’re setting out to
made on the computer after you’ve taken the picture. photograph and use what’s around the subject to help with
However, don’t be lazy and rely on this to avoid making your composition and framing.
the correct settings. The more accurately you adjust your It almost goes without saying that background aware-
camera settings, the better the final result. ness is one of the essential elements of well-composed
photography. Some really good portraits are helped by
The Importance of Background the pitch-black background on which they are photo-
One of the most common mistakes made by amateur pho- graphed. Some fantastic still life pictures are enhanced
tographers is not thinking enough about the background. by the completely clear, white background on which the
When I’m taking pictures, one of the most important ele- subject has been placed.
ments I consider is what the background of my picture is
going to be. After all, no picture can be a “great” picture Finally, here are a few points to bear in mind when you
without a complementary background. This does not photograph your next family outing:
mean always getting a neutral background, although that • Always, always, always think about what’s in the back-
can be a good start. The background should not distract ground.
from the main subject of the picture, be it an action pic- • When taking a photograph of your sister in New York,
ture, portrait, or even a landscape. In many cases, it can be don’t have a skyscraper growing out of her head.
used to complement or add to the picture content. • Don’t photograph your brother at the Grand Canyon
Just changing the angle of the picture slightly can help a with the horizon coming out of his ears.
lot. For instance, if you are photographing someone outside • When photographing your father fishing, frame the pic-
on a sunny day and the background choices are dreadful, ture with the lake in the background—not the car parked
duck down low and photograph against the best—and my next to the lake.
favorite—background in the world: the blue sky. Equally, if • When photographing your aunt at her birthday party,
the weather is bad, many great portraits have been photo- make sure that the illuminated exit sign in the restaurant
graphed against a cloudy, dark, moody sky. is not distracting your eye from the cake.
Sometimes, when the background isn’t great, a good • hen photographing your son’s first football match,
W
trick is to use a telephoto lens and shoot at the widest aper- choose a position with the green woodland, not the ugly
ture. This puts your background extremely out of focus sports hall, behind the action picture you intend to take.
and helps your subject stand out. Also, since a telephoto • When sneaking a picture of your friend sunbathing on
lens has a smaller angle of acceptance, this allows you to the beach, wait until the man walking his dog behind
be more selective with your background. her has gone.
19. Flash Photography the back of the flash unit and extending it past the face
At this point I should be completely honest with you: of the flash. Adjust the angle of the flash unit to direct
I usually don’t like flash photography. I like to use any the light in the required direction—usually off a neutral
natural light that’s available and manipulate the subject wall or ceiling—and then onto the subject.
to achieve the affect I’m after. There are occasions where
using flash is a useful technique, and there are a few Diffusing the Flash
things we need to know about the best ways to use flash. One of the biggest problems with on-camera flash is the
hard light that is produced; hard light, as we have previ-
Flash on Camera ously discussed, creates hard shadows that produce unat-
We’ve all seen plenty of examples of how not to use tractive pictures.
flash—pictures in which the subject is lined up against a We can combat this problem by diffusing or softening
wall and the flash casts a huge ugly shadow that over- the light produced by the flash with a proprietary flash
powers the shot. If the flash is built into the camera, diffuser, or we can make our own. This is as simple as
it’s often hard to avoid this situation, but there are a few placing a white handkerchief or some tissue paper in
simple tricks that may help. front of the flash. The light passing through the handker-
Move the subject away from the background; the chief or tissues will be spread out, or diffused, producing
farther away from a surface on which a shadow can be fewer shadows and a softer look, making even your great-
seen, the better the result will be. The distance between aunt’s wrinkles look less noticeable.
the subject and the shadow will determine not only the
size of the shadow but also the hardness of the edges, so Correctly exposed foreground,
the greater the distance, the softer and less obvious the black background
shadow will be. Another bad flash scenario we’ve all experienced is the
On some occasions where it’s not possible to achieve “bright foreground, black background,” where the subject
this separation of subject and background, a shadow is correctly exposed but the background is completely
behind your subject is unavoidable, and the best you can underexposed and pitch black. A friend of mine has a
do at these times is to make the shadow as unobtrusive complete album of pictures like this. “This is Margaret in
as possible. Take the picture from an angle that will Paris,” and “This is Margaret in Rome,” etc. All the pictures
project the shadow behind the subject’s head rather than look the same—shots of Margaret with black backgrounds.
behind the face, or use Bounce Flash. The cause is simple: the shutter speed is too fast. The flash
will produce enough light to expose the subject correctly,
Bouncing the Flash but the shutter is opening and closing too quickly to allow
By redirecting the light from your flash you can reflect it, or any of the ambient light of the background to be captured.
bounce it, off another surface to change the angle and qual- Setting the shutter to a much lower setting will help
ity of the light reaching your subject. The effect of bounc- alleviate the problem. The flash will “freeze” the subject
ing the light produces a less directional, less harsh light that while the longer duration of the shutter will allow more
will result in a much softer effect with fewer shadows. of the ambient light to pass through the lens. Capturing
A simple piece of white card can be used to change ambient light allows more of the background to be seen
the angle of the light from your flash by placing it on in the photograph.
20. Shutter speeds as slow as 1/8 of a second or even slower
can be used, though if you don’t want to risk blurring of the
ambient-lit portions of the scene, you should brace the cam-
era (e.g. with a tripod). Experiment, and see what results you
can produce. If it doesn’t work the first time, delete the image
and try again using a different shutter speed.
Portable Flash
Even if your new digital camera has a built-in flash it’s worth
considering buying an extra flash. This will give you much
more flexibility when it comes to flash photography. There
are too many of these units on the market to mention them
all here, but a good quality flash unit is worth the money
spent.
Many of the larger camera manufacturers produce
their own flash units, and if you buy one that is the same
brand as your camera you won’t go too far wrong. A flash
unit that is dedicated to a particular camera offers the full
range of through-the-lens functions and wireless/multi-
flash capabilities. Having an extra flash unit gives you
many more options when it comes to creating different
lighting situations.
Few D-SLR cameras have a flash sync plug, relying instead
on an attachment, or “hot shoe,” on top of the camera to con-
nect the flash to the camera. This is a convenient way of con-
necting your portable flash to the camera, but it also limits
what you can do with the flash.
I like a flash that can be removed from the camera and
placed to the side of the subject to produce a highlight, or
placed in other positions to create different lighting effects.
If your camera does not have a sync plug—the plug that
connects the flash to the camera via a cable—there are other
ways that the flash can be operated away from the camera.
There are devices that fit onto the hot shoe of the camera
and can then be connected via a cable or sync lead to an
off-camera flash.
There is also a small inexpensive device called a slave
unit. This electronic device is activated by the firing of a
21. flash. Connected to the external flash unit, it fires that Let’s say we get a reading of 1/60 second at f/11 at 100
flash when triggered by the flash from another unit. ISO; all we need to do now is set the flash to the appro-
If your camera is one with a built-in flash, then this priate distance setting and the power to f/8 (one stop less
flash can be used to trigger another one equipped with than overall exposure reading). This will produce enough
a slave unit. This allows the use of a second source of power to “fill” the shadows, but will not completely
lighting placed almost anywhere you want it. Most brand- remove them.
name manufacturers now build this wireless capability
into their flash systems, providing full automation without Black and White
the need for cables. Most digital cameras have the functionality to allow you
Used in this manner the off-camera flash can provide a to shoot your pictures in black and white. While this is an
highlight, or key lighting, that adds an extra depth to your option, I would suggest that you capture your images in
picture. Placed behind the subject, it will highlight the sub- color and convert them to black and white later in your
ject’s hair beautifully. computer using a proprietary imaging software. This not
only gives you the option of reproducing your images
Fill Flash in either color or black and white, but I have found that
Although I live in England, there are still times when capturing the image in color and converting it later pro-
the sun can cause problems when I’m taking portraits duces better detail in the shadows than it would in an
outdoors. image captured initially in black and white. Please refer
On the rare occasions when the sun shines, the bright- to Chapter Five where we will go into the reasons why
ness can cause pictures to have too large a variation and how to manage it.
between highlights and shadows. The pictures can have
uneven lighting. If we expose for the highlights, the shad- Quality of light
ows will be black and contain no detail. This is when we People often ask me, “What is the best time to take photos?”
need to use fill flash. This is a question that doesn’t really have one answer;
Fill flash is simply using a flash to provide more light in there are many opinions. However, I do believe that
the shadows. This technique produces an evenly lit image being able to identify what lighting conditions will
where the highlights are more balanced with the shadows. prevail at different times of day—and how to use these
To use fill flash, we must first know at what speed our different lighting conditions—is one of the great skills in
D-SLR camera synchronizes with the flash. If the flash is photography.
not synchronized, it will have little effect. The optimal times for photography are usually late in
Most D-SLR cameras have a sync speed of 1/60 second, the afternoon or early in the morning. Even though the
although some more expensive cameras have a sync speed position of the sun is low in the sky during both times of
of 1/250 second. The relatively slow speeds used by most day, the process of photosynthesis creates a very differ-
cameras to synchronize with the flash mean that to achieve ent color palette in each. Photosynthesis is the chemical
a correct exposure we need to set CCD sensitivity to a much process that keeps leaves and grass green in reaction to
lower ISO rating or the entire image will be overexposed. the sun. But particles of dust in the air also react to the
Once the shutter speed has been set at the correct sync sunlight, becoming a darker color rather than invisible,
speed, the next step is to take an overall exposure reading. as they are in the morning.
22. Early morning light is a very clean, white light that of the shadows adds a three-dimensional effect to
provides crisp vibrant colors. Late afternoon or early your pictures.
evening brings a warmer, softer light. And the low angle • t high noon, when the sun is directly above, the
A
of the sun in both situations casts long, strong shadows. shadows are short and deep and the light can be very
The nature of the late afternoon light—a warm soft contrasty. Portrait photography is especially difficult
light, diffused and softened—makes it an ideal time because you must employ a fill flash or reflectors to
to shoot against the light. Placing the sun behind your soften the effect of the shadows.
subject and using a reflector or a little fill flash, you can • ate afternoon brings a warm diffused light with long
L
produce portraits with a surrounding golden glow that soft shadows. It is an ideal time of day for most kinds
gives an almost ethereal effect. of photography.
A good way to discover for yourself the effect of light at • ight is dynamic. Plan your photography around the
L
different times of day is to go to a local scenic spot in the light if possible. If you see a picture but the light is too
early morning and shoot some pictures. Take the exact harsh, wait an hour to see if conditions improve. They
same picture at midday, and then again in the evening. probably will, and so will your picture.
Compare the pictures and you will see for yourself how • Good” weather doesn’t necessarily equate to good
“
the light changes at different times of day. light. Overcast days soften light nicely and reduce its
My least favorite time of the day for shooting is mid- contrast while storms can create rare, surreal effects
day. The sun is at its highest so it creates deep, sharp that can transform an otherwise normal scene.
shadows that you need to control. Again, fill flash or a
couple of reflectors can help manage the shadows created
by high, harsh light.
Wet and overcast days can also make for visually arrest-
ing images if used well. A rocky coastline with crashing
waves can be spectacular with menacing, cloudy, gray skies
as a backdrop. A person looking through a rain-streaked
window can evoke many different feelings. Immediately
after a thunderstorm, I love the light that streaks through
the blackened clouds as they move away. Those streaks
of light can illuminate the landscape like large spotlights.
Light is essential for photography, and learning how
light behaves at different times of day, and indeed, at
different times of the year, is a skill that one must master
to be a successful photographer.
Here are some basic tips, in summary:
• n the early morning, when the sun is still low in the
I
sky, the light is clean and white. This is a good time
for landscape photography because the extra length
23. JODI COBB
A brothel in Tel Aviv,
Israel, 2002
From there she traveled to nine
other countries to photograph as
many of the three sides of the nar-
rative as she could: the different
kinds of enslaved workers, the peo-
ple who enslaved them, and the peo-
ple who worked to free the slaves.
In Israel she had only four days to
work. In Bosnia, she ate lunch with
a man known to be very dangerous.
She risked reprisal on the streets of Mumbai for using her
camera outside the brothels. She cried sometimes while
she worked. “I was either in fear or in tears while I was
H
is story begins with a blurb in the Washington shooting,” says Cobb.
Post about the passage of the Victims of “It was the worst of human nature—and the best—in
Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. that story,” she continues. “For every evil guy there
Jodi Cobb read it and wondered if any stories had been was some brave person trying to help.”
done on the illegal trade of trafficking humans. She It is safe to say that “21st Century Slaves,” the 24-page
contacted organizations such as The Protection Project story that National Geographic magazine published
affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. She contacted in September 2003, is the pinnacle of a career that has
people at the State Department. She read reports issued blossomed from her early days as a staff photographer
by committees at the United Nations. She read Kevin at the News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware. After a
Bales’s book Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global two-year stint as a freelance photographer, Cobb joined
Economy. In the end, she realized there wasn’t a picture the staff of National Geographic magazine in 1977. Since
story that told the entire truth: 27 million people in the then she has researched and photographed 25 stories,
world are slaves. covering subjects as wide open as “London” or “The
“I knew it was going to be a very difficult story Enigma of Beauty.” But she also specializes in opening
because it was invisible,” says Cobb who spent a year the doors to closed worlds, as she did in her story “The
on the project. She started in India and Nepal, where Women of Saudi Arabia,” or in her highly acclaimed
she felt she could make pictures. There she already 1995 book, Geisha: The Life, the Voices, the Art.
knew of brothels where women worked and places To learn more, go to www.nationalgeographic.com.
that employed children. She had located enslaved Or take a class with Jodi. She regularly teaches at the
families who worked to pay off debts incurred by unfair Photography at the Summit workshop in Jackson
lending practices. Hole, Wyoming.
